Art and Entertainment

NPM to showcase Vatican treasures in 2016

Taiwan Today
Date: November 9, 2015

A total of 60 sets of historical and religious treasures from the Vatican will go on display at

National Palace Museum Director Fung Ming-chu (center) concludes an agreement Nov. 5 at the Vatican for some of the Holy See’s liturgical artifacts to be exhibited in Taiwan next year. (Courtesy of NPM)

National Palace Museum Director Fung Ming-chu (center) concludes an agreement Nov. 5 at the Vatican for some of the Holy See’s liturgical artifacts to be exhibited in Taiwan next year. (Courtesy of NPM)

Taipei City-based National Palace Museum starting February next year, the NPM said Nov. 6.

Comprising mainly liturgical artifacts from the Vatican Sacristy, the exhibition will include special robes and objects used by popes in public services over the centuries. A highlight is the Mandylion of Edessa dating from the 3rd to 5th century, which is believed to bear the image of Jesus Christ.

NPM Director Fung Ming-chu said these objects are not just great works of art, but are imbued with a deep sacred significance. “They represent the quintessence of more than two millennia of Roman Catholic faith and liturgical culture, through which many continue to find reverence for God and spiritual consolation.”

Fung signed an agreement for the event with the Holy See Nov. 5 at the Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff in the Vatican. She noted that many of the artifacts are going on public display for the very first time.

“This special exhibition is divided into five sections: the altar, the liturgical year, the pope and history, sacraments and sacred liturgy,” she said. “Together, they offer viewers a rare insight into the close relationship between Roman Catholic liturgy and the pope as well as the history of the church.”     [FULL  STORY]

Visitors to become artists at Taipei festival

Taiwan Today
Date: November 5, 2015

Visitors to become artists at Taipei festival“Render Ghost,” an interactive performance

“Render Ghost,” an interactive performance space by CBMI featuring innovative light and sound effects, is to take center stage Nov. 20-22 to wrap up the 2015 Digital Art Festival Taipei. (Courtesy of TCG)

“Render Ghost,” an interactive performance space by CBMI featuring innovative light and sound effects, is to take center stage Nov. 20-22 to wrap up the 2015 Digital Art Festival Taipei. (Courtesy of TCG)

space by CBMI featuring innovative light and sound effects, is to take center stage Nov. 20-22 to wrap up the 2015 Digital Art Festival Taipei. (Courtesy of TCG)

Digital Art Festival Taipei is set to kick off Nov. 13 at Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, showcasing interactive art programs combining contemporary art forms with the latest production techniques.

Organized by Taipei City Government’s Department of Cultural Affairs, the 10-day event features an eclectic lineup of exhibitions on animated films, interactive art installations, GIFs and video games, as well as competitions, electronic music concerts and avant-garde performances by talented artists from home and abroad.

According to event curator FabLab Dynamic, the development of new technologies enables the public to better understand artistic creation and become a part of the festival, which is themed Digitopia this year. “We think everyone is an artist, and there is every reason to encourage interactions between involved talents and festival-goers via collaborative practices.”     [FULL  STORY]

MOFA photo exhibit promotes cultural exchanges

Taiwan Today
Date: November 3, 2015

A special exhibition of photographs taken by foreign dignitaries in Taiwan spotlighting the

MOFA Minister David Lin (center) and Vice Minister Vanessa Shih (right) are joined by Guatemalan first lady Ana Violeta Fagiani Enriquez de Maldonado (left) at a special photo exhibition Nov. 2 in Taipei City. (Staff photo/Chin Hung-hao)

MOFA Minister David Lin (center) and Vice Minister Vanessa Shih (right) are joined by Guatemalan first lady Ana Violeta Fagiani Enriquez de Maldonado (left) at a special photo exhibition Nov. 2 in Taipei City. (Staff photo/Chin Hung-hao)

beauty of the country got underway Nov. 2 in Taipei City.

Organized by the ROC Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the show features 88 film and 143 digital works contributed by 42 ambassadors, representatives, staffers and their spouses from 32 embassies and representative offices.

“The event provides a unique opportunity to showcase how foreign diplomats stationed in Taiwan have captured the beauty of the country,” MOFA Minister David Lin said at the exhibition’s opening ceremony, while expressing his appreciation for their participation.

Also attending the event were MOFA Deputy Minister Simon Ko and Vice Minister Vanessa Shih, first lady of Guatemala Ana Violeta Fagiani Enriquez de Maldonado, as well as many foreign diplomats.

Speaking on behalf of the participating dignitaries, Nauru Ambassador to the ROC Ludwig Dowong Keke praised Taiwan as a photographer’s paradise.     [FULL  STORY]

New School of Curators

Taiwan Review
Date: November 1, 2015
By GLENN SMITH  

The explosive growth in the number of museums in Taiwan presents opportunities and

The island’s first museum, the National Taiwan Museum in Taipei City, was founded in 1908. (Photo by Huang Chung-hsin)

The island’s first museum, the National Taiwan Museum in Taipei City, was founded in 1908. (Photo by Huang Chung-hsin)

challenges for the next generation of museologists.

The tremendous rise in the number of museums in Taiwan over the past few decades has been a boon not just for tourists and those interested in the country’s history and heritage, but also for graduates with degrees in arts management, cultural policy, relic conservation and, most particularly, museology—the study of museums. Students in these disciplines enjoy better employment prospects than those in many other liberal arts fields, says Chen Chia-li (陳佳利), director of the Graduate Institute of Museum Studies at Taipei National University of the Arts (TNUA). “My husband, who is a musicologist at another university, is amazed at our ability to place students in jobs,” she stresses.

The transformation of the island’s museum landscape has presented students with a greater diversity of roles to choose from as well as a greater number of positions to apply for. “We want our students to find a job they’re truly interested in,” Chen says, “so we don’t necessarily encourage them to go to the big museums. Some work in private institutions, which often provide good learning environments because there’s less bureaucracy.”     [FULL  STORY]

Opera for the People

Taiwan Review
Date: November 1, 2015
By: LIU YING-FENG

Golden Bough seeks to bring local audiences back to Taiwanese theater.

All the world’s a stage, and the 22-year-old Golden Bough Theatre has embraced this

Golden Bough Theatre’s traveling shows bring the troupe’s expressive style and over-the-top antics to townships all across Taiwan. (Photo by Chuang Kung-ju)

Golden Bough Theatre’s traveling shows bring the troupe’s expressive style and over-the-top antics to townships all across Taiwan. (Photo by Chuang Kung-ju)

maxim to the fullest as it captivates audiences in locations as diverse as the misty mountains of Wufeng Township in northern Taiwan’s Hsinchu County and the bustling night markets of Daxi District in the municipality of Taoyuan. Rather than being about pretentious philosophies and artistic abstruseness, Golden Bough’s performances focus on exaggerated motions and belly laughs, aiming to entice audiences back to the theater with entertainment for the masses.

Formed in 1993 in today’s New Taipei City, “Golden Bough was built up by Taiwanese audiences over the years, ticket by ticket,” says Wang Rong-yu (王榮裕), the theater’s founder and creative director. It is this support that inspired Wang six years ago to start the “Golden Bough Across Taiwan” program, which takes shows such as She is So Lovely… and Midsummer Night’s Dream to townships up and down the nation. The hope is that by making the performances more accessible, the director says, the tours can sow the seeds of a vibrant arts scene around Taiwan.
Opera for the People-1

The troupe is committed to performing for the masses in a style that mixes popular appeal and classic storytelling. (Photo by Chuang Kung-ju)     [FULL  STORY]

Yo-Yo Ma hopes to bring music of comfort to Taiwan

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/10/30
By: Rachel McGuffin

Taipei, Oct. 30 (CNA) Renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma spoke about the social responsibility of 201510300036t0001music and arts in Taipei on Friday, and said he hopes that his upcoming concert with classical pianist Kathryn Stott in the southern city of Tainan will bring comfort to the people there as they fight dengue fever.

At a press conference to promote the duo’s concert tour in Taiwan, Ma introduced the concept of “cultural social responsibility,” saying that the term means using music and arts to fulfill one’s responsibility to help society.

The Grammy-winning musician said he hopes that the duo’s concert stop in Tainan on Saturday will comfort the people in the city during the dengue fever crisis.

In reference to the turmoil and changes in the world, including the recent Syrian refugee crisis and climate change, Ma said, “We don’t know what tomorrow’s going to look like, so I think through culture we can find a way to help society. We are here together to deal with issues that none of us by ourselves can solve.”     [FULL  STORY]

New Zealand singer Hayley Westenra to perform in Taiwan

Taiwan News
Date: 2015-10-24
By: By Christie Chen, Central News Agency

Taipei, Oct. 24 (CNA) New Zealand cross-over soprano Hayley Westenra will hold a concert in Taiwan in December, performing her own songs as well as popular Western and Mandarin works, according to the concert promoter.

The 28-year-old pop and classical singer will collaborate with Taiwan’s National Symphony Orchestra for the first time during the concert at the National Concert Hall in Taipei on Dec. 11, the Management of New Arts (MNA) said.

She will sing songs such as “Let Me Lie,” “Over the Rainbow,” “I Dreamed a Dream,” and “Bridge over Troubled Water,” according to MNA. Westenra will also perform the classic Mandarin song well-known to many Taiwanese people, “The Moon Represents My Heart,” Taiwanese singer-songwriter Deserts Chang’s “Baby,” and Italian composer Ennio Morricone’s works.

Westenra gained international fame after releasing her 2003 album “Pure,” which sold over two million copies worldwide. She is known for her angelic and pure voice.

Girl group Twice debuts music video

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/10/20
By: Chiang Yuan-chen and Christie Chen

Taipei, Oct. 20 (CNA) Twice, a new South Korean girl group that has drawn

From Facebook page of the 周子瑜 Tzuyu 쯔위

From Facebook page of the 周子瑜 Tzuyu 쯔위

attention in Taiwan as one of its members is Taiwanese, released its first music video Tuesday.

The video of the upbeat “Like OOH-AHH” shows the nine members of the group, including Taiwanese teenager Chou Tzu-yu (周子瑜), singing and dancing inside an abandoned building and bus, and among zombies.

The video had received over 1.1 million hits on YouTube less than 24 hours after its release.

Members of the group were selected from the South Korean TV talent show “Sixteen” earlier this year. The show saw girls from different countries showing off their singing and dancing talents in a competition to become a member of Twice.

The group was formed by JYP Entertainment, which manages several groups that are popular in Asia, including Wonder Girls and Miss A.

Taipei Golden Horse festival to kick off in November

Want China Times
Date: 2015-10-19
By: CNA

The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival, the largest film festival in Taiwan, will

Peter Greenaway. (Photo courtesy of the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival)

Peter Greenaway. (Photo courtesy of the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival)

open Nov. 5, screening some 180 films from around the world over a 22-day period.

The annual festival will open with Distance, an omnibus film produced by Golden Horse-winning Singaporean director Anthony Chen, and close with the Taiwanese horror movie The Tag-Along.

A total of 39 films that have been nominated for Golden Horse Awards will be screened at the festival. They include the Taiwanese drama Thanatos, Drunk, Hong Kong crime thriller Port of Call and Tang Dynasty-era martial arts movie The Assassin.     [FULL  STORY]